What is the fundamental job of a writer? 'We try to turn the world into language,' according to the poet, broadcaster and writer Ian McMillan.

Ian, one of Britain's best-loved poets and writers, as well as the presenter of The Verb on BBC Radio 4, joined James Fisher on the Country Life Podcast in what is one of the most entertaining and wide-ranging chats so far.

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James and Ian start off by discussing Under the Changing Skies, a collection of highlights from The Guardian's long-running Country Diary series. It's a collection for which Ian has penned the foreword, despite admitting that he'd be 'no good at all' at writing the column himself.

'You've only got 200 words, 200-and-odd words,' says Ian. 'I'd still be clearing my throat at 250 words, and might just be ready to go at 300 words.'

Ian and James go on to talk about an amazing: nature, writing, inspiration and more, with some wonderful anecdotes added in from an illustrious career (Ian's, that is; not James's). There's also a chance for Ian to explain why he chose John Cage's 4 minutes 33 seconds of silence when he appeared on Desert Island Discs — a quirky choice to put it mildly, and one which might conceivably have had some rather alarming unintended consequences.

Under the Changing Skies: The best of The Guardian's Country Diary, 1918-2024 is out now, published by Faber (£20)

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Organising a literary festival is no mean feat. You've got to book the right guests, organise plenty of activities, and find somewhere to host it.

Vicky and Charles Rangeley-Wilson joined the podcast this week to talk about exactly that, ahead of the upcoming Literature and Landscape Festival in Norfolk. With a star-studded lineup, there was plenty to talk about.

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From discussions on the future of farming and the environment, to getting children to count insects in rivers, it turns out the literary festival isn't just boring old men reading from their novels. Thank goodness for that.

The Literature and Landscape Festival takes place in Wells-next-the-Sea, from October 4-6. Tickets can be found here

Episode credits

Host: James Fisher

Guests: Vicky and Charles Rangeley-Wilson

Editor and Producer: Toby Keel

Music: JuliusH via Pixabay

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The bushmaster snake is on the one hand, very polite: it announces its presence with a two-tone whistle.

On the other hand, however, it's utterly merciless: a creature which will chase humans through the jungle, attack aggressively, and should it miss with its fangs will leap on to its intended prey and attempt to whip them in to submission.

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This is just one of the extraordinary tales shared by Lucy Shepherd, the brilliant young explorer who has travelled through both the Antarctic and the Amazon. She joined James Fisher on the Country Life Podcast to talk about her life growing up in rural Suffolk, to the high-adrenaline life she now leads, blazing a trail through impenetrable jungle. You'll like her.

Lucy's latest exploits are the subject of an upcoming show on Channel 4 called Secret Amazon: Into the Wild, which is scheduled to air on October 7th at 10pm.

You can also catch up with Lucy on Instagram at @lucysheps

Episode credits

Host: James Fisher

Guest: Lucy Shepherd

Editor and Producer: Toby Keel

• Music: JuliusH via Pixabay

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.